Paris estate agents are difficult to deal with, even for Francophones. Once you've found your perfect Paris rental apartment, the hard part begins. There are a huge number of potential customers and relatively few properties available, yet this hasn’t stifled the growth of the market; real estate in Paris is booming. Follow these guidelines to try to make dealing with French estate agents as painless as possible.
Researching Paris Immobilières
There are a staggering number of estate agents out there – whilst walking around the streets of Paris it’s not uncommon to see two or three on each street. Immobilières tend to be small affairs, with a few exception such as Century21 and Guy Hoquet. As predominantly small businesses, each normally deal with their own areas, so working out which area is most desirable is a big part of finding the right agency.
The Paris phone book (Yellow/White Pages) features all Paris businesses, but can be quite overwhelming to begin with. A better bet may be a local Google search for the correct postal codes – the Paris code is 750 followed by the two-digit number of the arrondissement you require, so the 5th would be 75005, the 16th 75016 etc.
Meeting the Estate Agents
A list of potential agents provides a good starting point. If there’s time, it’s perfectly possible to wander around the correct area for days, checking out the best offers from each Immobilier in the windows. Also make a note of the prices; French agents are obliged to display their charges for renting and buying in the front window to give customers full visibility.
Most estate agents maintain their own websites but the extent to which fresh content is posted varies widely. Many agents, rather than updating their own sites, choose to post new properties on Seloger. Also try FNAIM, the “la Fédération Nationale de l'Immobilier” Both websites will have details listed for each agent; check daily if possible to maximise the chance of getting a new property.
Renting or Buying in Paris
Some estate agents specialise in sales (“Vente”) only; if the agency has no “A louer”/”location” sign in the window or on the website, most likely it’s a sales-only place. There are very few places that specialise only in rentals, and they are normally dedicated to holiday rentals, which are considerably more expensive than unfurnished places. Be careful of these, particularly when looking for places on listings sites; it’s very common for places to be advertised as a reasonable rent which is actually for the weekend or the week, rather than the month. Most legitimate estate agents will advertise “/mois” or per month.
Viewing a Property in Paris
Estate agents in Paris tend to arrange viewings with multiple attendees, predominantly because of the strength of the market. Therefore, it can pay to get there early – if a place is popular, it may be offered on a first-come first-served basis. However, avoid being pressured by the estate agent; if it’s proving difficult to come to a decision, there’s no need to rush. There are plenty of other properties out there!
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